What is the most likely cause for a blackout?

Most unexplained blackouts are caused by syncope

Many people, including doctors, assume that blackouts are due to epileptic seizures, but much more commonly they are due to syncope (pronounced sin-co-pee) – a type of blackout which is caused by a problem in the regulation of blood pressure or sometimes with the heart.

What causes a person to blackout for a few seconds?

The most common cause of blacking out is fainting. Other causes include epileptic seizures, syncope due to anxiety (psychogenic pseudosyncope) and other rare causes of faints. Other causes of blacking out may be due to low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and lack of oxygen (hypoxia) from a variety of causes.

What causes black out spells?

You may suffer from a simple fainting spell due to anxiety, fear, pain, intense emotional stress, hunger, or use of alcohol or drugs. Most people who suffer from simple fainting have no underlying heart or neurological (nerve or brain) problem.

Can blackouts be caused by stress?

Stress and anxiety are the most common causes of psychogenic blackouts. This can be due to chronic stresses, such as being foreclosed on or having someone close to you pass away. Psychogenic blackouts are, however, more commonly associated with a single stressful event.

Why am I blacking out so easily?

It has to do with your blood alcohol level, which can be affected by lots of things—how quickly you're drinking, how much you're eating between drinks, your body size, and how your brain is wired.

What are blackouts? Causes and symptoms explained

What to do after a blackout?

Can you feel when you're about to blackout?

If you're about to faint, you'll feel dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseous. Your field of vision may "white out" or "black out." Your skin may be cold and clammy. You lose muscle control at the same time, and may fall down.

Can lack of sleep cause blackouts?

Vasovagal Syncope

It might be more likely to occur if the patient is relatively dehydrated, is exposed to extreme heat, has been standing for a long period of time, is sleep deprived or is under a lot of stress.

Is there a difference between blacking out and passing out?

Answer: Blacking out is a loss of memory - not being able to remember what happened because your brain has lost the ability to form new memories due to intoxication. Passing out is losing consciousness and not being able to be awakened.

Does a blackout mean brain damage?

A blackout generally does not mean that you have damaged your brain. However, long-term brain damage is a side effect of alcohol use. If a person builds a tolerance to alcohol and blacks out often from drinking, this can be harmful. They may show symptoms that mimic memory loss with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Can low blood pressure cause blackouts?

Syncope is also called fainting or "passing out." It most often occurs when blood pressure is too low (a condition called hypotension) and the heart doesn't pump enough oxygen to the brain. It can be harmless or a symptom of an underlying medical condition.

What part of the brain causes blackouts?

Alcohol-related blackouts are gaps in a person's memory for events that occurred while they were intoxicated. These gaps happen when a person drinks enough alcohol to temporarily block the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage—known as memory consolidation—in a brain area called the hippocampus.

Can poor circulation cause blackouts?

The lack of blood circulation, and the oxygen it carries to the brain, is what causes the dizziness and possible loss of consciousness. Fainting can happen to anyone but is especially common among older people.

What are signs of low blood pressure?

How long should a blackout last?

Utility workers can fix a minor incident, such as a fallen power line, in around 2-3 hours. But when the cause of a blackout is severe weather or a natural disaster, you can expect to be out for several days and even months in some extreme cases.

How long does a blackout last?

The blackouts are typically for one hour, then the power is restored and another area is turned off. Hospitals, airport control towers, police stations, and fire departments are often exempt from these rolling blackouts.

How can you tell if someone is blacked out?

SHORT TERM MEMORY TEST

A person in a blackout will not remember something that happened a few minutes ago. Thus, if the person doesn't seem to know what you are talking about or has no memory of what happened, assume they are in a blackout and do NOT leave them alone.

What neurological disorders have blackouts?

A blackout, or transient loss of consciousness (T‐LOC) occurs because there is: a disorder of the circulation—syncope; a disorder of the brain—epilepsy (or other rare neurological condition); a disorder of the psyche—psychogenic seizures.

Can you recover from a blackout?

Some blackouts are partial, which means that the missing memories can eventually be recovered when the person is provided either visual or verbal cues. Others are permanent, meaning that the missed memories will never be recovered. Partial blackouts are much more common, but both types present similar medical risks.

What drugs can cause blackouts?

Benzodiazepines (such as flunitrazepam, midazolam, and temazepam), barbiturates (such as phenobarbital), and other drugs which also act as GABA_A agonists, are known to cause blackouts as a result of high dose use.

Should I go to the ER after fainting?

' If you have fainted, you should see a physician or visit an emergency room right away to identify the cause of your fainting and to ensure you do not have a serious underlying condition. Generally, fainting indicates a drop in blood pressure resulting in too little blood (and, hence, oxygen) reaching your brain.

Can heart problems cause you to pass out?

Fainting spells can sometimes be the first warning sign of an undiagnosed heart disease. Heart conditions associated with fainting can include: Arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, including bradycardia (too slow) or tachycardia (too fast)

What heart problems cause syncope?

Syncope is a harmless event that does not lead to lasting effects in the majority of cases. The other causes of syncope include heart valve disease, cardiomyopathy and pericarditis, high blood pressure medication and cardiac arrhythmia. Vasovagal syncope is more common in young people and women.